Post navigation

Dream Student by J.J. DiBenedetto #RockingSummerRomance

Four Fun Facts about “Dream Student”
One – the first draft of the book (before it was even called “Dream Student”) was written way back in 1997. It sat on my computer, untouched, for years, before I came back to it in 2012 and rewrote it from the first page.

Two – the main character, Sara Barnes, also ended up being a character in a near-future role-playing game (the first draft of the novel became her “backstory”). In the game, rather than simply having the ability to step into other people’s dreams, she ended up being a Changeling – the daughter of Fae parents, sent to Earth to be raised by unknowing human parents to avoid a curse.

Three – the college setting of Crewe University is a (very) thinly veiled version of my actual alma mater, Case Western Reserve University. And several of the “background extras” in Sara’s dorm are drawn from people I knew, with the names changed to protect the innocent.

Four – There are extensively detailed notes about the book that never made it into the final version of the story. I know who lived in every room on Sara’s floor, every class she took for all four years of college, her family tree going back six generations, and more…

About the Dream Series

What if you could see everyone else’s dreams? That’s the question Sara has to wrestle with in the Dream Series. We first meet her as a shy, bookish college student who doesn’t think there’s anything extraordinary about herself. And then the dreams start…

Over the course of the series, Sara learns to live with these supernatural dreams and all the trouble they plunge her into. At the same time, she grows from a student to a practicing doctor; and from a single girl to a wife and mother. But every time she thinks she’s got everything figured out, life – and her extraordinary dreams – teach her that she’s always got more to learn…

Blurb for Dream Student (book 1 in the Dream Series)

What if you could see everyone else’s dreams?

College junior Sara Barnes thought her life was under control. Her biggest worries were her upcoming final exams, applying to medical school, Christmas shopping and what to do about the cute freshman in the next dorm who’s got a crush on her. Until the dreams started…

Now she’s learning more than she ever wanted to know about everyone around her. Watching the hidden fantasies and seeing the deepest secrets of her friends and classmates is bad enough. But much worse are the recurring dreams of a strange, terrifying man… dreams that could cost Sara her sanity… or get her killed.

Bio:
J.J. (James) DiBenedetto’s fans would swear he’s got a sixth sense when it comes to seeing into the minds of others and often wonder if his stories could possibly be fiction. He enjoys suspending disbelief with suspenseful paranormal tales that are a perfect blend of reality meets fantasy.

His popular Dream Series continues to delight readers with each and every exciting installment.

Born in Yonkers, New York, he currently resides in Arlington Virginia with his beautiful wife and a cat he is sure has taken full advantage of its nine lives. When it comes to the cat, he often wonders, but then again it might just be his imagination.

Do your dreams tell you anything? If they’re like mine, they are mostly a jumbled mess. Weigh in with questions or comments below to be entered in my August monthly drawing for a $15 Starbucks gift card.

Thanks for giving us the chance to find out about your book, JJ. Love the book cover! Like you, I sometimes have material on hold for years before I find the right opportunity to use it. Have you considered treating us to some of those extras that never make it into the book? You know, like the supplementary material we now get on a second dvd; the ‘making of’? I’ve been told by more than one person that people are more and more interested in processes than in mere products. Maybe you could appendix this material, or at least a selection of it, to a new edition of the book, or share some on your site?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.